Moving Out, Moving On and Moving Forward
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: Kotonoha and Ryuji, after getting married, move out of her house into Ryuji's old apartment. This is to mark their new lives together.


**Moving Out, Moving On and Moving Forward…**

"And that's the last of them," said Ryuji in satisfaction after sealing the last of the cardboard boxes with tape. He dusted off his hands and said, "We're all set."

"And the moving truck is on its way," Loki reported.

"Good," Ryuji nodded as he looked at the room now. This was his room while living with the Katsuras but now it was time for him to move out. He placed a hand against the now barren wall and sighed, "I'm gonna miss this place. Lots of good memories."

"It's not like we're moving to another country, Ryuji," Loki told him.

"I know, but we can't stay here forever. After all, we are married."

Ryuji was now married to Kotonoha, his high school sweetheart. To think he would be a married man now. Things sure have changed since he first arrived in this world. Now, he was packing up his things and moving out of the Katsuras' home. Of course, he wouldn't be leaving alone. His wife, Kotonoha, would be going along with him.

There was a knock at the door and Kotonoha entered. She was wearing a green and black riding suit since she would be riding her Tenshi-Riser later to their new home. "Ryuji-kun, are you ready?"

"Yeah," he answered. "How about you? Everything packed?"

"Yes. Athena helped me pack everything. When are the movers going to arrive?" she asked.

"In about 15 minutes," Loki said.

Kotonoha walked towards Ryuji and leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her. They looked out the window together with smiles. "It feels strange," he told her.

"What does?" she inquired.

"This…feeling…" he said as he reached up to his chest and took hold of the snowflake pendant Kotonoha had given to him as a present. "A long time ago my heart was filled with rage and anger and nothing else could satisfy me except for the rush I get from a good fight." His eyes met hers. "Now…my heart is at peace." He chuckled. "It's funny, isn't it how things can change, right?"

"That's because you've fulfilled your purpose and realize how valuable life is. This is what you've been fighting for," she informed him. They gazed deeply at each other and then on impulse they shared a loving kiss.

A cough broke them out of their reverie and the two jumped apart in surprise. They turned to see Athena, leaning against the doorframe. "Are you both going to always do that when you're alone together in the same room?" the Amazon Imagin asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, lighten up, Athena," said Eros as he stood next to his fellow Imagin. "They're in love."

Athena snorted. "Whatever." She informed the couple, "By the way, your parents wish to speak to you, Lady Kotonoha."

The married couple nodded and held hands as they strode together out of the room.

* * *

"Are you sure you both really want to do this? There's really no need for you to move out," said Manami as she sat with her husband next to her at the dining table. Across from them sat Kotonoha and Ryuji.

"We've already packed," said Ryuji. "It's a little late to be changing our minds now."

"Well, you could unpack and decide not to move," said Manami hopefully. "It's not too late to change your minds now."

"Dear, they're married now," said Mr. Katsura seriously.

"But…" she began to object only for him to interrupt her.

"Our daughter is all grown up now," he added. "She did help save the world."

Manami frowned in thought and looked to her daughter. She had watched her grow up from a little girl and now she was a young woman. She had indeed become an adult and now was a wife herself, to a good man in fact. Ryuji may not be the ideal husband, but he was the right husband for her eldest daughter.

"Okaasan, don't worry," Kotonoha reassured her mother. "It's not like we're moving very far away. We'll still be within the city. You can come and visit anytime you want."

That seemed to calm Manami a little. She eyed Ryuji seriously and warned him, "Take good care of her, or else you'll have to deal with me."

Ryuji gulped. He'd seen that look before on his mother. A motherly glare was not something to scoff at. "H-hai, ma'am."

"And you can call me 'mother' now," she reminded. "You're a member of the family.

That was true. Ryuji had married into the Katsura family. His name was now Ryuji Hasuma Katsura. It was a welcome change.

"Alright, Mom," Ryuji said, which brought a smile to Manami's lips.

"Take care of yourselves," said Mr. Katsura as he reached over and shook hands. "You're not children anymore."

"I know that," Ryuji agreed, "And I'll take good care of Koto-chan."

"And I'll take good care of you too, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha beamed.

"And, it's not like you're going to be alone," said Ryuji. "I mean you still got Kokoro-chan, and Tatsu."

"Yes, I do," said Manami, "Until they grow up and leave the house!" She wiped the tears from her eyes. The men rolled their eyes.

"Oh, Manami…" sighed Mr. Katsura.

"My eldest daughter is about to leave the nest! I'm allowed to cry!"

Kotonoha sighed and stood up before walking over to her mother. She helped the weeping woman up and hugged her. "I love you, Okaasan." The woman hugged her eldest daughter back. It was such a heartwarming moment.

* * *

The movers arrived and grabbed all of the things Ryuji and Kotonoha had packed up. They just took their belongings, clothes and a few other things they had packed up in boxes. The items were loaded onto the truck to be taken to Ryuji and Kotonoha's new home.

At the gate, Kotonoha and Ryuji stood facing her parents. Kotonoha hugged both her mother and father. Kokoro and Tatsu were also there to see them off.

"Onee-chan, Onii-chan, be sure to visit," said Kokoro as she hugged her sister goodbye.

"We could always visit too, y'know," commented Tatsu. Ryuji ruffled his son's hair. "Hey, Oyaji! Quit it!"

"Remember to be good to your grandparents and Kokoro-chan," Ryuji advised his Shinigami son.

"Hey, I'm a member of Squad 11 and Smith-taichou's student!" boasted Tatsu. "I can take care of things here with you gone, Oyaji."

"Be sure you do," Ryuji winked. "OK, Koto-chan, let's go."

The two teens mounted their bikes before putting on their helmets. They then zoomed off after the moving truck.

* * *

"It's good to be back," said Ryuji as he put in the key into the keyhole and gave a twist before pushing the door open. "My old apartment."

Indeed, the couple was moving into Ryuji's old apartment. He'd lived here before moving into Kotonoha's home. While he was living with her, he had lent the apartment to his sister, Kat and her family. "I just hope it's in good condition after letting Kat stay here."

"I'm sure it's fine," said Kotonoha confidently. "Come on, let's head inside. The movers are still stuck in traffic so we have plenty of time to check out the place before they arrive."

"Yeah, traffic sure was heavy, wasn't it? It's a good thing we took our bikes."

The couple entered. It's like how I remembered it," said Kotonoha.

"I'm surprised it's still in one piece," commented Ryuji. Everything was like how he'd left it.

"And rent's been paid."

"Well, the money does get transferred to my landlord's account each month from my own account." The money he was referring too was his reward money for fighting the Imagin as well as his salary for being a Rider.

"Does that include the bills?" she asked.

"Including the bills," said Ryuji. "They all get automatically paid."

"Well, it seems like a waste since you weren't living here," Kotonoha frowned in thought.

"It's my money," he shrugged. "Hey, remember when you first came here?"

"I did. I was surprised too when Loki greeted me."

"That was the day I came back…"

* * *

"_And here's where I live," said Ryuki as he pointed to the building after parking his bike._

"_But, this is Makoto-kun's building," Kotonoha pointed out._

"_I know, but it was the only place I could find that was close to where you live," Ryuji told her. "Now, come on. I want to show you my apartment."_

_The two rode the elevator up to Ryuji's floor and stepped out before walking towards his apartment. "Um…I have to warn you though. I have a roommate."_

"_I'm sure he's a good person," said Kotonoha._

_Ryuji raised his hand and knocked on the door. The door opened and Kotonoha gasped when she saw that it was… "An Imagin!" she screamed._

"_Oh, Ryuji! Okaeri nasai!" Loki greeted. "And who is this lovely young lady with you?"_

_Ryuji wrapped an arm around Kotonoha's shoulders, effectively calming her. "This is Kotonoha Katsura. My girlfriend."_

'_My girlfriend…' Those words made Kotonoha blush._

"_Koto-chan, meet Loki, my Imagin partner," Ryuji introduced._

_Kotonoha bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry of how I reacted."_

"_Oh, don't apologize," said Loki. "My appearance has that effect on people. Now, come inside. I've almost had dinner prepared."_

* * *

"And then you asked him for the recipe," Ryuji stated.

"I must've seemed foolish," Kotonoha blushed.

"Nah. I thought it was cute that you wanted to learn the recipe so you could make it yourself," he told her honestly. He looked around at the place, "Some good memories here." He looked to the kitchen. "I wonder if there's anything to eat."

Kotonoha shook her head. Ryuji sure loved to eat. Well, she would be sure to make him something good everyday.

Ryuji scowled as he slammed the fridge shut. "She swiped everything!" He checked the kitchen cabinets and grumbled, "Yup, she took all the food! We have to restock."

"There's no need to be angry, Ryuji-kun," said Kotonoha. "We can always go shopping later."

"Yeah," Ryuji agreed, calming down. "Still, she could have at least left something."

"Be grateful she left the place clean," said Kotonoha.

There was a knock at the door and Ryuji strode over to open it. It was the movers. "Take them inside the master bedroom," Ryuji told them and they carried the boxes into the master bedroom before leaving to get the rest of the things inside the truck.

Kotonoha looked into the master bedroom. This was Ryuji's room. Since it was his place it made sense for him to get the biggest room. "This room has a lot of memories too."

"You mean the bed, right?" he teased. They had slept together in that bed and made love in it too.

"That too, but there has been some other memories. Like, remember that time you got sick?"

Ryuji grimaced. "How can I forget?"

"You were sick then, if I recall."

* * *

_Ryuji had been absent to school and as his girlfriend, Kotonoha took it upon herself to go and check up on him. She was worried about him. He hadn't even picked up his phone. When she touched the doorknob, her hand recoiled as she felt the sudden chill. "What?" She took hold of the doorknob again. It was freezing cold. "Huh?" She knocked on the door and heard shuffling._

"_I'm coming!" That was Loki's voice. The door opened and Kotonoha felt a chilly breeze escape from inside. "Hurry, inside!" he told her and she did. She shivered. It was so cold. _

"_What's going on?" Kotonoha asked._

"_Here, wear this," Loki told her, handing her a thick winter jacket. She slipped it on and zipped it up. He also handed her a pair of mitten to keep her hands warm._

"_Why is it so cold? Where's Ryuji-kun?" she asked, worried._

"_Ryuji's in his bed with the flu," Loki informed her. She gasped._

"_Oh, my!"_

"_And, as for why it's cold, it's because of him," said Loki. "You know how his powers work, right?" She nodded. "Well, it's cold because he can't control his powers when he's sick. His flu has caused the temperature to drop in here."_

"_Take me to him."_

* * *

"I can recover from gunshot wounds, stab wounds and being blown up, but it takes just a flu virus to bring me down," said Ryuji in shame.

"Well, I had fun taking care of you," commented Kotonoha. "I enjoy feeling…needed."

"And your chicken soup worked wonders. It warmed me up," said Ryuji. "Of course, I think having you there was what helped me get better. You cared."

The movers brought in the remaining boxes and after getting paid they drove off. The couple, with help from Loki and Athena, began to clean up the place before unpacking. It took a few hours but it finally looked like home. There was still the issue of the kitchen being absent of food, but that could be fixed by a shopping trip.

"I can do the shopping," Loki said.

"Nah, I think we can handle the shopping ourselves," said Ryuji. "I mean it isn't that hard."

"But you'll be needing a lot of food," said Loki. "There's nothing for me to make dinner with."

"You could always eat on the DynoLiner," Ryuji informed him.

"You're right," agreed Loki. "The DynoLiner is still stocked with plenty of food. Maybe I can bring some over to fill up the fridge and cabinets later."

"OK, I guess you could do that," said Ryuji. '_Why didn't I think of that?_'

"Then there's no need to go shopping," said Kotonoha.

"Yeah, you're right, but we're still going out to have dinner," Ryuji told her. "There's this restaurant in the King's Terminal that Neko-nee recommended for me. She says it's where she and Kenzaki had their first date."

"Then let's go!" said Kotonoha, her arm wrapping around his.

* * *

At the restaurant, Ryuji and Kotonoha were able to get a table even without a reservation. All Ryuji needed to do was to show his Rider Pass and they got a luxury table, complete with candlelight.

"I'm glad we got married," he confessed.

"A life together with you," mused Kotonoha. "I've been dreaming of that for a long time now."

"Me too. I mean after nearly dying so many times I have a better appreciation for life," Ryuji stated.

"I'm just glad we don't need to fight anymore. It's peaceful now," she told him.

'_Yes, but for how long?_' He said aloud, "Yes, it's peaceful now. That's what we've been fighting for all this time." Well, that was his reason for fighting now. Initially, he'd fought for the sake of it and did it to protect Kotonoha. Now he no longer wanted to fight since there was no need to. Of course that didn't mean he would lax in his training. Peace was not eternal and Sauron had come back from defeat before. Some day the struggle for peace would begin again and he had to be ready.

"I'm glad I met you," said Kotonoha. Because of him she had found a new love. She had found a new future. This was the life she had dreamt of since meeting him.

"Me too," he agreed, "I'm glad I met you too." Because of her he had found purpose. His life had found a new direction. His life had no direction before meeting her. He had no reason to fight for before he met her. Now, his life of combat would end. Now he just wanted to settle down and face the future together with her.

Ryuji raised his glass and said, "A toast, to our future together."

"Our future."

They tapped their glasses together.

* * *

After dinner, the couple returned home. In the living room, Ryuji wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. Kotonoha blinked. Though confused by the gesture, she didn't reject it. She returned the hug as gently as he had, holding him close.

"This is it," he said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This is what I've been fighting for. This life with you is what I've been fighting for," he explained. "From the very beginning I've struggled with myself to find the purpose to my existence and I have it now. The reason I exist is so I could live with you, for the future."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun…"

"This is just like a dream I had," he told her, still holding her. "I come home to see you waiting at home for me with dinner cooking over the stove. In my dream we're husband and wife. Now, that dream has become a reality."

"Maybe this was meant to be," she told him. "Maybe it's…"

"Fate? A load of crap to me if you ask me, but I'm not complaining. I'm not complaining one bit."

Kotonoha gazed up at him curiously, "What else was in this dream you had? Did we have children?"

"Well, no…" He blushed. "It was just us as husband and wife. No kids, at least not yet. But…"

"But…?"

"Well, you were wearing an apron and nothing else," he answered. Kotonoha gasped and blushed. So, that was his fantasy? She would commit that to memory.

"Ryuji-kun, when did you have this dream?"

"Well, the first time was during Christmas, our first one together," he answered.

Now she remembered that day. "So, that was why you groped me."

"Yeah…sorry I never told you that before," he apologized.

"No need to apologize," she said soothingly. "I'm actually glad you were thinking about a future for the both of us."

"And now it's come true. You and me in an apartment of our own. I just wished Athena and Loki didn't have to live with us, though." He frowned. Loki and Athena were going to be staying with them too, each taking a single room for themselves.

"You and me, married, and living in a place of our own. Together for the rest of our lives. Indeed, this is a dream come true," she agreed.

They shared a deep kiss before making their way to their bedroom. It was in there that they celebrated their new future and the rest of their lives together.

* * *

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Just a oneshot for my characters and their lives together.


End file.
